


Family Matters

by suneye



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddling, Domestic, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Sex, Kissing, Lots of kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-09-06 11:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16831702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suneye/pseuds/suneye
Summary: It's quiet, for just that one moment. It's peaceful. It's comforting. It's what his entire life has lead up to, what he could hardly dare dream about for so long.





	1. Chapter 1

Alec's lips are soft against his skin, his breath warm and tickling Magnus' ear when he giggles softly in between slow, lazy kisses. Two empty glasses of wine sit on the bedside table. The curtains are parted slightly, moonlight streaming in. Half the bed sheets are on the ground.

"I love you," Alec whispers as he kisses Magnus again. There are stars in his eyes and wine on his breath. Magnus can't remember the last time he saw him so happy and carefree. "I don't tell you that enough. I  _ love _ you."

"I love you too." Magnus cups his face gently and presses their lips together again. He can't remember when the statement stopped making his hairs stand on end, when he stopped shaking his head on instinct at Alec's confession. But at some point, he just started believing that he was Alexander's whole world. And started believing he  _ deserved _ to be, too. Now his own " _ I love you _ "s and " _ I love you too _ "s fall from his lips as easily as breathing.

Alec sits back for a moment, studying Magnus with an adoring expression. "I'm gonna take you out," he says with conviction; Magnus laughs. " _ Shh _ !" Alec leans back in to press a finger to his lips, barely suppressing his own laughter. "It took forever to get them to sleep. But seriously, when was the last time we went on a date? Life's been so crazy lately...we deserve a break. How does Sunday in Paris sound?"

"I think I could manage that," Magnus beams. "What did you have in mind?"

Alec thinks for a moment. Just the thought of it makes him smile. "Dinner, dancing, a nice hot bath..." He smirks. " _ Other stuff _ ."

"I like the sound of that," Magnus says. And he does. He loves his life - wouldn't trade it for anything, not a single part of it - but sometimes he wants Alexander all to himself. No reports to assess, no clients to please, no baby formula to mix, no mess to clean up, just... _ them _ . Just for one night. And then they will return to their lives with a newfound appreciation for all the annoying little things they couldn't help but miss in Paris. "I'm especially intrigued by that last part," Magnus goes on, a flirtatious edge to his voice. "Oh, look at that, we're alone. Perhaps you could go into  _ detail _ about 'other stuff'?"

He blinks innocently up at Alec. Alec shakes his head fondly and flops down next to him. He pulls Magnus close by the waist, pressing gentle kisses first to his forehead, then his cheek, and at last his lips. Magnus melts into every touch, every kiss, letting the sensation encompass him, let's himself get lost in the feeling of closeness, of there being no one else in the world but him and Alec.

Of course, that illusion is shattered when the sound of high-pitched crying carries over into their bedroom.

Alec groans. "It's your turn," he mutters, eyes closed and a look of not-quite annoyance on his face.

"I don't think so - I got him last time."

Alec's eyes snap open. "I  _ distinctly _ remember-"

The wailing grows louder. Magnus and Alec sigh in unison.

"Alright..." Magnus sits up with a yawn. "We're both up, so let's both go."

Alec doesn't argue. Magnus quickly puts on his robe as Alec pulls a stray t-shirt on, and they both hurry down the hallway to the baby room. Magnus pushes the door farther open and steps in first. As if he can sense their presence, Surya quiets down a bit, hiccuping more than crying. Magnus stands over his crib, smiling down at the little warlock who calms entirely at the sight of him. Magnus is struck, as he often is, by how beautiful he is: dark skin, large black eyes, a smile that could end wars.

His son.

Magnus picks him up. Surya makes a satisfied noise and clings to him. Magnus can't help but grin from ear to ear as he strokes the baby's cheek with one finger, whispering nonsense solely to let him know they're  _ here _ .

"You just want papa's attention  _ all _ to yourself, don't 'cha?" Alec whispers in a light, juvenile tone, placing his chin on Magnus' shoulder so he's in Surya's line of sight; Surya makes baby noises in response. "Thought so. You're stealing my husband!"

Surya babbles back nonsensically, as if they're having a serious conversation. Magnus shifts his weight in his arms. "I've got him, angel," he tells Alec. "You can go get some sleep. God knows you need it." Truthfully, Magnus wouldn't mind just standing here for a while, rocking his son back to sleep in the near-darkness, maybe singing a lullaby, just being present with him.

Alec smiles and nods, but makes no move to go back. Magnus wonders if he's going to fall asleep standing up with his chin still resting on Magnus' shoulder. Surya reaches forward with one tiny, chubby, _ adorable _ hand and grabs a lock of Magnus' hair, momentarily distracting him. Magnus tuts disapprovingly and gently begins to unwrap Surya's fingers from around his hair. This unsurprisingly results in the baby making whining noises that are far too close to "crying" for comfort. The weight of Alec's head disappears from his shoulder as Magnus tickles Surya to lighten his mood, taking care to keep hair out of his reach. He turns to find Alec kneeling by the door in front of their daughter.

"Did your brother wake you?" Alec is whispering.

Sophie shakes her head. "I had a nightmare," she sniffles. "I wanted to sleep in your room, but you weren't there." Some of her words are slurred, either because of the baby teeth she's recently started to lose or the tusks she's started to grow. Magnus quickly makes sure his own eyes are unglamoured before he speaks to her. (They have a little agreement in their home: that no one is to be ashamed of their marks or scars or anything of the sort. Magnus is really the only one who's struggled with it, even though the "rule" was partially his idea. But seeing the way Sophie smiles with her small tusks jutting out of her mouth when Alec tells her a joke makes it easier for Magnus to be more comfortable in his own skin and set a good example.)

"Do you want me to cast a protection charm on your room, cupcake?" he asks as he does every time she has a nightmare or worries about a boogeyman in her closet. "So you know you're safe?"

Sophie shakes her head vehemently. "I wanna sleep with you and daddy."

"C'mere." Alec picks Sophie up in his arms, and she wraps herself around him like her life depends on it. They rejoin Magnus and Surya by the crib. Alec looks at Magnus as if to ask whether they should let Sophie sleep in their bed tonight. Magnus gives him the slightest shrug as if to say,  _ you're the boss too _ . Alec smiles and taps Sophie on the shoulder. "Come say good night to your brother, princess."

Sophie lifts her head from his shoulder as Alec steps close enough to Magnus for their shoulders to brush, Sophie in between them. Surya coos in her direction and Sophie giggles. She reaches forward and lets him grab her index finger, humming a nursery rhyme she likes to sing to him - one that Maryse taught her.

They stand like that for a moment - Magnus holding their son, Alec holding their daughter, everyone close enough to touch. Magnus closes his eyes, takes a deep breath. It's quiet, for just that one moment, surrounded by his family. It's peaceful. It's comforting. It's what his entire life has lead up to, what he could hardly dare dream about for so long.

It's perfect.

He opens his eyes to a cold and dark place that makes him feel nothing but dread.

A lump forms in his throat and tears well up in his eyes. Even though he should have  _ known _ . Should have expected it. Shouldn't have fallen for it so easily. He swallows hard, blinking away the tears, pretending it didn't hurt as much as it did.

"That was cruel," he says, because it's true, and because he needs his father to know that hurt him so that maybe - _just_ _maybe_ \- he will stop.

From somewhere in the dreadful place, Asmodeus smiles and says, "Yes. That was the point."

He doesn't  _ look _ particularly cruel. Or amused. He's simply...observing, as he has been since Magnus first arrived. Like it’s all an experiment. His eyes when he looks at Magnus are filled with curiosity - and a sick sort of pride that makes Magnus shiver. He stands, the shadows dancing around his feet in a most unnatural and unsettling way, and motions for Magnus to follow. "Come now," he says, walking deeper into the darkness. "On to the  _ real _ family matters."

Magnus doesn't say anything else. If this is the price he has to pay to save the rest of them - to give Alexander a chance to have everything Magnus can't give him anymore - then he'll pay it with a smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

There is something about being wrapped up in Alexander’s arms that makes the rest of the world seem pale and muffled in comparison. The death and destruction around them doesn’t matter anymore. Only Alec matters.

Alec and his breath against Magnus’ neck, the blood dripping from the cut on his forehead, the scent of ichor on his clothes, the way his body trembles as he presses Magnus against him.

Magnus pulls back, though Alec is holding him so tightly it's almost impossible to, and looks at Alec for a long moment. He slides his hands along Alec's shoulders and cups his face, focusing on the heat of his skin, the lines of his jaw, the intensity of his eyes, the dirt and the blood and everything else that proves that this isn’t another trick. Alec doesn't say anything, doesn't protest. Maybe a part of him knows that Magnus needs to make sure. Maybe he's just patient. Maybe he’s too close to tears to be able to say anything, even if he wanted to.

That’s how Magnus knows it’s him - he doesn’t have the untouchable perfection of the dreams. He’s equal parts scared and relieved and desperate. His breaths come in pants and his grip on Magnus is starting to hurt. He may look like an angel to Magnus, but underneath it all he’s just Alec.

"You…" Magnus takes a deep, shaky breath. "You're  _ real _ ."

"Yeah," Alec says. "And so are you."

Magnus nods.

And then it all hits him - everything that's happened in the past few hours. He glances over to the gruesome sight at their left. His father’s… _ body _ , if it can be called that.

The pain and fatigue and relief catch up to him suddenly and wash over him like a tsunami, making him collapse back into Alec’s arms. Alec lets Magnus lean against him, though he must be exhausted too.

"Do you need my strength?" Alec asks, already offering his hand.

Magnus shakes his head. He doesn't know how much Alec has left to spare - if any - and he doesn't want to waste it. He's content just lying against Alec's shoulder for now, letting the dust settle around them. Alec kisses the top of his head and holds him close. They stand like that for a long time. Longer than would be safe if he were anybody but the new Prince of Edom. Alec sniffs, and Magnus feels a tear drop into his hair. If he had any energy, he would make a joke about it, or pull back and wipe Alec's tears away. Instead he just wraps his arms as tightly around Alec as he can manage and whispers, "I love you."

Alec sobs out a laugh. Magnus knows it’s because it’s been too long since he’s heard those words. “I love you, too,” Alec says. “God, I love you  _ so much _ .”

*

Magnus can’t recall exactly what happens next. They must make it back to their realm somehow, and then to their apartment. All he knows is that he somehow ends up lying on his couch, vision blurry, listening to muffled voices in the background and feeling someone’s - probably Alec’s - fingers in his hair. He feels Catarina’s magic and her hand in his. She tells him to get some sleep to recharge. And who is he to say no to Catarina Loss?

*

When Magnus wakes up, he wonders for a moment if his father performed the curse wrong this time, because though the sheets and the arm around his waist are warm, he wakes up anxious and still remembering Edom.

He turns over on the bed and finds himself face-to-face with his sleeping Shadowhunter boyfriend. There is a faint scar on Alec’s forehead and one on his bottom lip that Magnus can’t remember being there before. He remembers what it felt like to see Alec storming Asmodeus’ lair, not willing to believe it was real until Alec had been too distracted by him to watch his back, resulting in a demon’s talons just barely getting to him.

He remembers seeing the thin trail of blood and instinctively blasting the demon to bits with dark red magic. He remembers thinking the small cut on Alec’s forehead was going to need more than an  _ iratze _ .

_ Okay _ , Magnus thinks, focusing on the details and the linear sequence of events.  _ So it really  _ was  _ real _ .

He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding before reaching out from under the covers and shaking Alec by the shoulders.

One of Alec’s snores get cut off as he blinks awake, confused and frowning for a moment before his eyes fall on Magnus and he immediately softens.

“Sorry,” Magnus says innocently. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

Alec smiles fondly at the blatant lie and wraps his arms tighter around Magnus. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know.”

Alec nods as if he understands perfectly. “You know,” he says after a brief moment. “Catarina said you’d be out longer.”

“I do enjoy exceeding expectations. Is she here?”

“No, she had to go home to Madzie. But she said she’d come back to check on you tomorrow and bring Madzie. They’ve both missed you.”

Magnus tries to hide his disappointment - he’s missed them too. He wants to see them. Alec catches the sad look in his eyes and tries to cheer him up with a gentle kiss to his cheek. It sort of works. Or at least, it makes Magnus smile, which is good enough for both of them at the moment.

“Do you want something to eat?” Alec asks.

Magnus shakes his head. He can’t remember the last time he ate, though he’s not hungry, and a hot meal with Alec does sound nice. But he doesn’t want this moment to end.

“Can you just hold me?”

Alec smiles softly. “Yeah,” he whispers. “Yeah, I can do that.”

*

Magnus doesn’t know how long they lie there together - only that he suddenly realizes  _ he doesn’t know how long they’ve been lying there _ , and feels an urgent need to look at a clock or a book or out the window or at anything else that can’t be perfectly replicated in a dream. Just to make sure it’s still real.

“Babe?” Alec calls, concerned, when Magnus drags himself out of bed and checks the time (a quarter past midnight) before pushing the curtains apart and taking in the view he’s grown to love, listening to the sounds of muffled chatter on the streets and watching headlights pass by to assure himself that this is really happening. “What’s wrong?”

Magnus turns to smile at him. “Nothing,” he says, and strangely enough, means it. “How about that meal I was promised?”

*

After lunch and a nice hot shower, they curl up on the couch with jazz music and a bottle of wine. “To us,” Alec says, and they clink their glasses together. Magnus doesn’t drink. He’s thinking of kisses that feel like dreams and happiness that feels like lies.

Alec notices, and takes a long sip of his own wine before turning to look at Magnus. “You wanna talk about it?”

How does one bring up their heart’s most earnest desire and most paralyzing fear when everything should be perfect? How does he explain that every time he opened his eyes in Edom, he was losing something he'd never had? How does he tell Alec he wants to be with him forever, start a family with him, when the bottle of wine is still full?

“I miss Raphael,” Magnus says finally, hoping to change the subject and distract himself - but it doesn’t work.

“He’s coming over later tonight,” Alec tells him. “After dark. Will you talk to  _ him _ ?”

“Nope.” Magnus snaps his fingers and the music grows louder. He puts down his wine glass and grabs Alec’s hand instead. “Dance with me, darling.”

Alec doesn’t resist as Magnus pulls him to his feet and wraps his arms around his neck, hugging him close and burying his face in Alec’s neck. It’s not so much dancing as it is standing together, rocking, getting lost in the rhythm of the music and each other’s heartbeats.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” Alec whispers a few minutes into their swaying.

“Neither can I,” Magnus admits.

Alec’s arms tighten around him like they did in the aftermath of the battle in Edom. He doesn’t say anything else, just keeps on breathing shakily with his face pressed against Magnus’. Seconds tick by. Minutes. The song ends and a new one starts. Alec pulls away first and only to kiss Magnus senseless. The doorbell rings - Raphael and Catarina, Madzie in between them. They all have dinner together and Madzie refuses to leave Magnus' side until she falls asleep on the couch and Raphael helps Cat carry her home.

*

The first thing Magnus does when he jolts awake from the nightmare later that night is reach out for Alec.

He intends to lace their fingers together to ground himself, or at least grab his arm or shoulder or hip, but what happens instead is he unintentionally smacks Alec right in the face.

So the first thing Alec says when he wakes up is, “Ow.”

“Sorry!” Magnus says, breathless because of the hammering of his heart, disoriented because of the dream. “I really didn’t mean to wake you this time.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Alec says groggily. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Magnus sits up, rubbing his eyes. He doesn’t even remember what the nightmare was about anymore, but it still unsettled him. “Nothing, I just…”

“Come here,” Alec says, sitting up next to him and spreading his arms invitingly. Magnus crawls into his embrace and Alec places a gentle kiss to his forehead. It’s sickeningly familiar again. Magnus grabs Alec’s hand to ground himself.

After a few quiet minutes, Alec shifts so they’re face-to-face and runs a gentle finger down Magnus’ cheek. He looks and sounds heartbroken when he whispers, “What did he do to you?”

“He didn’t  _ do  _ anything,” Magnus says with a sad smile. “Only reminded me of what I can never have.”

“What?”

Magnus hesitates. “Children.”

Eight-hundred years and it still hurts to say it out loud.

Alec frowns, confusion all over his sleepy face. “Why can’t we have kids?”

“Oh,” is all Magnus says. It’s all he  _ can  _ say. Alec doesn’t look like he’s joking, or just saying things to make Magnus happy. He looks genuinely confused. It makes Magnus feel a little stupid for not entertaining the possibility or approaching the subject sooner. Or for not considering the possibility that this might be something Alec would want too, with him or not.

“This is the part…” Alec starts, then cuts himself off with a yawn before continuing, “…where you say, ‘Alexander, let’s have kids’.”

“But I don’t want to do it alone,” Magnus protests sharply.

“You won’t be alone.”

“But I will. One day, I will. I’m sorry, but you’ve said as much yourself-”

“ _ Magnus _ ,” Alec says so forcefully that it almost makes Magnus jump. “I’m not leaving you. Ever.”

“How-”

“I don’t know,” Alec admits with a shake of his head. “But I know we’ll figure it out.”

Magnus thinks he might cry. Alec is looking at him the way he always does: soft and sincere and ready to burn the world down for him. Even half-asleep, even talking about something nearly impossible, every word he says makes Magnus’ heart feel like it might burst with all the love he’s trying to hold in it.

“Alexander,” he says. “Let’s have kids.”

“Okay,” Alec smiles dopily at him. “But not yet. I’m old-fashioned.”

Magnus raises an eyebrow at him, wondering what the fuck  _ that’s  _ supposed to mean, but then Alec winks and Magnus realizes what’s going on.

“Oh,” he says again, and it’s a miracle his heart hasn’t actually burst open yet.

“Yeah,” Alec says. “You’re gonna have to marry me first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The implication here is that they will, in fact, get married, become immortal, and have lots and lots of kids. Also, Magnus is officially a prince. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> SO I wrote this in like...May? I think? Maybe earlier? So by now it will probably never fit into canon in any way but today's 3B teaser of Malec and Madzie made me feel emotions so I finished this up and decided to post it. I am a little sleep-deprived rn though so I'm sure it's full of mistakes so sorry about that. Thank you for reading though! The working title was "just spittin out some angst here just go with it". So yeah.
> 
> (also shoutout to me for being the Worst at titles and summaries...)


End file.
